Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• IRAQ/ATTACK VOA 28 July 2003--The U-S led coalition in Iraq is confirming that one U-S soldier was killed and three were injured in a grenade attack Monday in central BaghdadThe
• Ammo troops build more than munitions AFPN 28 Jul 2003-- Six airmen from the 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron's ammunition flight say conditions are much better here since they constructed a wooden shelter to shade their work on the munitions pad.
• USS Princeton Protects Oil Moving from Iraq Navy Newsstand 28 Jul 2003-- Marking a major step in the restoration of economic trade in Iraq, USS Princeton (CG 59) provided maritime security for two recent onloads of crude oil at the Mina al-Bakr oil terminal, an Iraqi offshore oil platform.
• CENTCOM Says Iraqi Die-hards Number Around 5,000 AFPS 28 Jul 2003-- A U.S. Central Command official estimates the number of anti-coalition forces in Iraq to number between 4,000 and 5,000.
• Wolfowitz: Security 'Real Problem,' but Situation Will Improve AFPS 28 Jul 2003-- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said security continues to be a real problem in Iraq, but that help from other nations and the Iraqi people is on the way.
• Two National Guard brigades deploying to Iraq next year Army News Service 28 Jul 2003-- Two brigades from the Army National Guard, totaling 10,000 soldiers, will deploy to Iraq next year to support two active Army divisions earmarked to replace troops now engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom next year, the Army has announced.
• V CORPS INFANTRY COMPANY RAIDS BAGHDAD APARTMENT COMPLEX V Corps Release 28 Jul 2003-- The Bradleys were lined up -- staged for the night's mission -- and the soldiers who would ride in them stood outside waiting for night to fall. The soldiers checked their equipment. Platoon sergeants and squad leaders inspected them.
• ONE KILLED, ONE INJURED IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT CENTCOM 28 Jul 2003-- A U.S. Army soldier died and one was injured in a vehicle accident at approximately 2:30 p.m. on July 28, while traveling south along Highway 1 north of An Nasiriyah.
• ONE KILLED, THREE WOUNDED IN CONVOY ATTACK CENTCOM 28 Jul 2003-- One 1st Armored Division soldier died and three others were wounded at approximately 11:40 a.m. July 28 when an unknown number of individuals dropped an improvised explosive device from an overpass onto their convoy as it was traveling through the Al Rashid district of Baghdad.
• Four Nimitz Aviators Safe after Ejecting from EA-6B Prowler Navy Newsstand 28 Jul 2003-- Four aircrew are safe and in good condition after ejecting from their EA-6B Prowler jet aircraft in the Arabian Gulf. The four ejected at approximately 11 a.m. local time July 27 during routine flight operations, and were rescued by helicopters assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 6 of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group.
• COALITION FORCES CONTINUE PATROLS CENTCOM 28 Jul 2003-- Coalition forces continued to conduct patrols and raids throughout Iraq, removing former regime loyalist, in support of the effort to create a secure environment.
• SECURITY TOPS HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS CENTCOM 28 Jul 2003-- Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) continue to graduate police officers from academies throughout the Mosul area while 1st Armored Division soldiers are training the Iraqi Police Services in modern policing techniques.
• Wolfowitz Says "Difficult Work" Remains in Iraq Washington File 28 July 2003--Major combat operations" in Iraq are over, but coalition forces still "have difficult work to do" there, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said in an interview on NBC Meet the Press July 27.
• "Roots Of Hope In a Realm Of Fear" in Iraq, by Paul Wolfowitz Washington File 28 July 2003--op-ed column by deputy defense secretary
• Wolfowitz Discusses U.S. Involvement in Iraq, Liberia Washington File 27 July 2003--Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz gave an overview of his recent trip to Iraq and answered questions on U.S. involvement in Liberia during an interview on Fox News Sunday July 27.
• U.S. To Significantly Increase Aid For Afghan Reconstruction Washington FIle 28 July 2003--Boucher says new funding will focus upon projects that improve daily life
• Afghanistan: UN Office Begins Disarmament, But Not Without Facing A Fight RFE/L 28 Jul 2003 -- The United Nations office in Kabul says it will soon launch a disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program in Afghanistan. But after more than two decades of war, many mujahedin are reluctant to give up their weapons. They say fighting is the only occupation they know and one they will not give up without a firm government promise of other employment or education opportunities. Local warlords warn that mujahedin are capable of destabilizing the country if the situation is not handled properly.

• Liberian rebel group 'disqualifying' itself from future leadership role - Annan UN News Centre 28 Jul 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today demanded that a ceasefire be respected in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, which has come under lethal fire from rebels over the past week, and said one of the main insurgent groups was disqualifying itself from any leadership role in the future of the country.
• LIBERIA / FIGHTING VOA 28 July 2003 -- The Liberian capital, Monrovia, continues to be pounded by mortars from both government and rebel positions. Meanwhile, west African leaders are in nearby Ghana to discuss plans for the deployment of a regional peacekeeping force, with Nigeria saying that the first troops could be on the ground by Tuesday
• U-N / LIBERIA VOA 28 July 2003--U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan warns that rebel forces fighting for control of Liberia's capital, Monrovia, are "disqualifying themselves" from participating in the nation's future.
• U-S / LIBERIA VOA 28 July 2003--The United States is sending a senior diplomat to west Africa to join in talks on ending the fighting in Liberia. It is also warning Liberian rebels against seizing the country's second largest city
• LIBERIA: Rebels fight their way into port city of Buchanan IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- Rebel forces fought their way into the Liberian port city of Buchanan on Monday as they continued to battle for control of the capital Monrovia, government defence sources said.
• LIBERIA: Former warlord Prince Johnson seeks political career IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- Former Liberian warlord Prince Yormie Johnson has been exiled in Nigeria for 11 years after losing out in a power struggle with President Charles Taylor in 1992.

Defense Policy / Programs

• CONGRESS / INDONESIA VOA 28 July 2003--Before members of the U-S House of Representatives began a month-long recess, they turned their attention once again to the situation in Indonesia. During debate over legislation to fund U-S foreign assistance programs, the Indonesian government came in for more sharp criticism from lawmakers over human rights and other issues
• USS Key West Returns from Operation Iraqi Freedom Navy Newsstand 28 Jul 2003-- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722), one of four Pacific Fleet submarines to strike at targets in Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned to its homeport of Pearl Harbor July 24.
• Chairman Visits Troops at 'Tip of the Spear' in Iraq AFPS 28 Jul 2003-- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited the "pointy end of the spear" in Iraq July 27.
• Army developing new aircrew survival knife Army News Service 28 Jul 2003-- Army aviation crews will soon have a new tool to help them escape from a crashed aircraft.
• Double return marks end of six-month deployment 7th Fleet 28 Jul 2003-- It was six months in the making, but it was worth the wait for many.
• 13th and 22nd MEUs to test command structure for future ESG deployments Marine Corps News 28 Jul 2003-- For years, Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) have deployed aboard three to five amphibious ships that form an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). It is from these vessels that the MEU's combat power is projected ashore.
• U.S. STRYKER BRIGADE TO HOLD FIRST OVERSEAS TRAINING IN KOREA USFK Release 28 Jul 2003-- The U.S. Army's first Stryker brigade, a mobile force specializing in rapid combat-ready deployment, will fly to South Korea next month for its first overseas training, the U.S. 8th Army said Monday
• South Korean, U.S. Forces Capable of Meeting North Korean Threat Washington FIle 28 July 2003-- South Korean and U.S. forces are well equipped to meet both the conventional and nuclear North Korean military threat, says General Leon LaPorte, the commander of all U.S. forces in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Defense Industry

• Boeing Awarded High Energy Laser System Testbed Contract Boeing 28 Jul 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., for a mobile testbed to enable development of beam control and fire control solutions for tactical high energy laser weapon systems.
• Bath Iron Works To Christen Newest U.S. Navy Destroyer August 9th General Dynamics 28 Jul 2003 -- General Dynamics Bath Iron Works will christen the newest DDG 51 Class destroyer, MOMSEN (DDG 92) on Saturday, August 9, 2003, at its world class Navy shipbuilding facility. DDG 92 is BIW’s 23rd DDG 51 Class destroyer, and the second to be built at the shipyard’s modernized land-level transfer facility.
• Lockheed Martin's Small Diameter Bomb Completes Successful Flight Test Lockheed Martin 28 Jul 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] successfully completed the next step in its Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) flight-test program in a flight over Eglin Air Force Base, FL. The SDB was released from an F-15E aircraft, demonstrating the weapon system's aerodynamic and navigation capabilities and meeting all test objectives.
• Lockheed Martin Delivers First Advanced Computer Modules for F-35 JSF Program Lockheed Martin 28 Jul 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has delivered the first advanced Integrated Core Processor (ICP) modules for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter under a $300 million System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract.
• Northrop Grumman Commissions 18th Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) Northrop Grumman 28 Jul 2003 -- The U.S. Navy commissioned the Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) in a twilight ceremony on Saturday, July 26, at Naval Air Station North Island.
• Northrop Grumman, BAE SYSTEMS To Collaborate On Missile Defence Solutions; Accord Makes Joint Wargame Exercises Possible BAE Systems 28 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and BAE Systems plc today announced they have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to co-operate on developing missile defence solutions, focusing specifically in the area of modelling and simulation.
• Northrop Grumman, BAE SYSTEMS to Collaborate on Missile Defense Solutions Northrop Grumman 28 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and BAE SYSTEMS plc today announced they have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on developing missile defense solutions, focusing specifically in the area of modeling and simulation.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 28 Jul 2003
• Middle East: Bush, Abbas Confer At White House RFE/L 28 Jul 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush met on 25 July with Mahmoud Abbas to hear the Palestinian prime minister's demands for Israeli peace concessions.

• DR of Congo: Security Council extends and strengthens UN military force UN News Centre 28 Jul 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council today extended the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year, increased its military strength to 10,800 from 8,700, and instituted an arms embargo against all foreign and Congolese armed groups in the east of the country.
• U-N / CONGO VOA 28 July 2003--The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution to strengthen a U-N peacekeeping force in the Congo. Correspondent Jenny Badner reports from New York on the measure that also imposes an arms embargo on rebel forces.
• CONGO / MASSACRE VOA 28 July 2003--A U-N peacekeeping force is investigating reports of two massacres in the Ituri region of northeastern Congo over the weekend in which dozens of people were reportedly killed.
• DRC: New government to make resolution of Ituri conflict a priority IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- During its first meeting on Friday, the newly-inaugurated ministers of the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) resolved to make resolution of the conflict in Ituri District a major priority.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: CEMAC commander seeks support of Bangui district leaders IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- The commander-in-chief of the peace force of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC), Rear-Adml Martin Mavoungou, has urged all district and neighbourhood leaders of Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), to help restore security in the city, state-run Radio Centrafrique reported on Saturday.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN mission to assess humanitarian situation in north IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- A UN mission left the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), Bangui, on Monday to assess the humanitarian situation in the north of the country, where most of the hostilities took place between October 2002 and March 2003.
• BURUNDI: Rebels release kidnapped MPs IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- Burundian rebels loyal to Pierre Nkurunziza released on Saturday three Members of Parliament of the Front pour la demoratie au Burundi (FRODEBU), whom they had kidnapped on 29 June in the eastern province of Ruyigi.
• BURUNDI: CNDD-FDD delegates in first visit to Bujumbura IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- A six-member delegation of the largest rebel movement in Burundi, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) faction led by Pierre Nkurunziza, arrived in the capital, Bujumbura, on Monday to assess the security situation in the country.
• BURUNDI: UN relaxes security rating for Bujumbura IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- As the UN relaxed on Friday the security rating of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, from Phase Four to Phase Three, the African Union (AU), the continent's foremost political body, decried inadequate financial and logistical support for its peacekeeping mission in the country.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Handover of bodies "step towards peace" - UN IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- The UN has refused to let a row over 220 soldiers killed in the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea overshadow the ceremony to repatriate their bodies.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: AU commission report still awaited IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- An African Union commission, set up under the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace deal to establish the origins of the war, has yet to get off the ground, the AU has admitted.
• Kyrgyzstan Blames Uzbek Islamic Movement For Attacks RFE/L 28 Jul 2003 -- Kyrgyzstan's intelligence agency says the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a group that has been linked to the Al-Qaeda network, is believed to have been involved in two recent bombings in Kyrgyzstan.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 28 July 2003-- Iceland pins U.S. base hopes on NATO chief's visit / Turkey says decision on Iraq troops will take time / Foreigners helping Iraq attacks against U.S. / Arab foreign ministers to discuss Iraq next month / U.S. says it pushing for Iraq "balance" from Arab TV / Three explosions shake Kosovo, no injuries / Finland's Holkeri named UN governor in Kosovo / Russia gets Soviet-built ballistic missiles from Ukraine / Afghan province urges U.S. action on Taliban rivals
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 28 July 2003--Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz: Iraq key to war on terrorism / Deputy Prime Minister Gul returns from U.S. visit, says Turkey, U.S. determined to act together in northern Iraq / Serbian PM: Serbia-Montenegro to join NATO's Partnership for Peace by 2004 / Bulgarian officials offer bases for deployment of U.S. troops

• PHILIPPINES POLITICS VOA 28 Jul 2003 -- In her annual State of the Nation address, delivered one day after a failed military mutiny, Philippines President Gloria Arroyo vowed to punish those responsible, but said she will use the rest of her term to address the dissatisfaction leading to the revolt. She pledged to launch an investigation into the root causes of the uprising.
• PHILIPPINES MILITARY UPRISING VOA 28 Jul 2003 -- Life in Manila is returning to normal a day after a failed effort to steal control of the military from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The power grab echoes past military coups and highlights the lack of progress in military reform
• U.S. Pleased with Peaceful End to Philippine Crisis Washington FIle 28 July 2003--Following is the text of a July 28 State Department press release concerning the peaceful resolution of an armed standoff that took place over the weekend in Manila between the government of the Philippines and dissident Philippine soldiers
• BURMA/INDONESIA VOA 28 July 2003--Burma's foreign minister is on a tour of Asia to try to counter growing criticism of its crackdown on the country's democratic opposition. Win Aung told leaders in Indonesia, which chairs the influential Association of Southeast Asian Nations, that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will not be detained indefinitely.
• BALI BOMBING/DEATH PENALTY VOA 28 July 2003--Prosecutors in Indonesia are demanding a death sentence for the man they allege masterminded last October's bombing on the island of Bali. Tim Johnston reports from Jakarta, Abdul Aziz, also known as Imam Samudra, is showing no remorse for the deaths of more than 200 people.
• Talks Begin at U.N. on Liberia Resolution Washington FIle 28 July 2003--The United States has begun talking with other Security Council members about a possible resolution on Liberia, the chief U.S. representative to the United Nations said July 28
• U-N / WAR CRIMES VOA 28 July 2003--U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Security Council is considering the appointment of a separate prosecutor for war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
• Cote D'Ivoire-south Africa: SA man arrested for mercenary activity IRIN 28 Jul 2003 -- The arrest and prosecution of a naturalised South African citizen for allegedly recruiting mercenaries to fight in the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire has been welcomed.